In the automatic photo-processors having such functions as a film processor for subjecting films to development and a printer processor for outputting film images as a print, different kinds of plural photographic processing agents or processing chemicals are used during the processing steps such as developing, bleaching, and fixing. In general, the photographic processing agents are contained in specific containers, and distributed to a processing station lab. The containers for photographic processing agents are installed in the automatic photo-processor by an operator to supply or refill (replenish) photographic processing agents to said processor. Recently, in order to supply the photographic processing agents by the operator simply and cleanly to the automatic photo-processor, the cartridge system which is capable of exchanging a set of plural containers (each containing a different kind of the photographic processing agent) for another set of containers, has become the most popular and used frequently.
For example, in a conventional cartridge 200 for photographic processing agents shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, containers 202 for photographic processing agents (202A, 202B and 202C) are filled with processing solutions such as a developing solution, a bleaching solution, and a fixing solution, respectively, and the three containers 202 making a set are held in a rectangular storage box (corrugated cardboard box) 204. Each container 202 is made of plastic and is formed in a tetragonal bottle shape as shown in FIGS. 28 to 30. The container is provided with a cap 206 and a packing 208 to close a mouth to prevent the photographic processing agents from leaking out of the container.
The cartridge 200 for the photographic processing agents is installed in a cartridge loading chamber of the automatic photo-processor manually by an operator, turning mouths (the cap 206 and the packing 208) of the containers 202 downwards. When the loading is completed, a penetrating member, which is a washing nozzle mounted on the automatic photo-processor corresponding to each container 202, pushes the packing 208 to tear so that the photographic processing agents can drain away from the containers and are supplied to the automatic photo-processor. Then, the inside of the container 202 for photographic processing agents is washed with a cleaning solution sprayed upwards out of the washing nozzle, and each photographic processing agent is diluted to a desired concentration by mixing together with the cleaning solution. In this cartridge system, three kinds of the photographic processing agents, such as a developing solution, a bleaching solution, and a fixing solution, can be simply and cleanly supplied to the automatic photo-processor at one time, with the operator not touching the containers and the photographic processing agents.
And, there is also another cartridge intended for a set of two kinds of photographic processing agents, which can be smaller in size and holds two containers smaller than the container 202. While, there is proposed a new cartridge system made of plural cartridges, which are same in size, each of which contains three kinds of the photographic processing agents different in compositions adaptable to the automatic photo-processor to be used. In order not to lead the cartridge for the photographic processing agents from being erroneously loaded to the automatic photo-processor of a different model, cutouts, for example, two cutouts 212 disposed asymmetrically in FIG. 26, are formed on the upper part of a front face 210 of the box 204. The number and arrangement of cutouts on the cartridge are variable depending upon automatic photo-processor to be used. The automatic photo-processor is provided with protrusions for engaging with the cutouts so that an operator can determine whether or not the cartridge for photographic processing agents is properly installed in the automatic photo-processor judging from the engagement of the protrusions to the corresponding cutouts (see, for example, JP-A-11-282148 (“JP-A” means unexamined published Japanese patent application), pages 5 to 7 and 9, and FIGS. 1 and 5).
In the cartridge 200 for photographic processing agents, the cutouts 212, openings or the like engaging with the protrusions of the automatic photo-processor are limited to form on the upper end of the storage box 204 of which inside is empty. Accordingly, toward the prevention of erroneous loading, not so many patterns can be formed on the cartridge, that is made use of by the member of cutouts 212, openings or the like and differences in the location of the cutouts 212, opening or the like. Since there were not so many kinds of the cartridges for photographic processing agents before, the conventional cartridge explained above did not create problems. However, it is expected that the kind of cartridges for photographic processing agents will be increased as the kind of the automatic photo-processor increases. Accordingly, a new cartridge capable of providing a larger number of simple patterns toward the prevention of erroneous loading has been demanded.
According to one of the new cartridge under manufacturing as an experiment at present, for example, a guide portion for engaging with the protrusions of the automatic photo-processor is formed of recesses disposed on an outer side face of the containers for photographic processing agents and openings arranged on a cartridge of the containers corresponding to the recesses of the containers. The number and the arrangement of the guide portion for engaging can alter such that the number and arrangement of the openings on the cartridge are variable depending upon an orientation of housing the containers in the cartridge to have the recesses of the container directed to a predetermined arrangement in the cartridge. However, this cartridge is not satisfactory in that a washing liquid is interrupted by the recesses protruded into an inside of the container depending upon such conditions as the location and depth (size) of the recesses disposed on the container when the container is washed, and the washing liquid is not distributed in every nook and corner of the inside of the container. As a result, the cleaning capacity of the container is decreased, which is another problem.